Thursday, December 30, 2010

The recently reunited Kid Gorgeous has posted a brand new demo track. The band, which features members of Buried Alive and Despair, is going to post 2 more new songs in the next few weeks. Until then, go check out the new track, "Mermaids With A Switchblade".

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

I'd heard Unveil's first record, "Destruction Wherever I Go", I'd say last year and I was into it. I thought the band had a lot of potential and was off to go a great start. Last month, Chris (vocals) emailed me asking I would do a review if he sent me a copy of their newest release, "Hypnopaedia". Of course, I said I would so here we are.The band plays chug style hardcore with some fast parts thrown in there. Lots of melody to go over the hard chugging riffs. The first band that I think of when I'm listening to them is early One King Down, also some Unbroken (not so much the Life Love Regret era). The band makes no attempt to hide their love for 90s hardcore but still tips its hat to the newer generation of bands currently playing out. The recording is extremely clean and nothing over powers. Vocally, I'm reminded of a cross between Dave Walker from Harvest and Jayson from Where Eagles Dare (if you haven't heard them, go and check them out). The CD is a short one at only 4 songs but it makes for a good listen and well worth your time to check them out.The layout and artwork was done by one of my favorites, Raf Wechterowicz, though Im not quite sure what the cover of the record means. Maybe I'm missing something...I dig it though. The band also includes a short paragraph proclaiming their choice of veganism. The band is from Europe and released this record through Take It Back Records/Start A Fire Records (who just signed Unrest, one of my current favorites), which are both European labels, so it may be a little difficult to find this release in the US but request at your local indie store or order direct from the band at their Big Cartel store. Get this at all costs, one of the best of 2010.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

As some of you already know, I am currently knee-deep in directing a documentary film about Kathleen Hanna. It’s a unique opportunity, and an important one. This film is not simply an archive of Kathleen’s impact on our culture as a feminist leader and musician (which could easily be a five-part miniseries). I am making an intimate portrait of a complex artist and activist that explores where she’s been, where she is now, and where she is going. Inevitably, these questions will engage larger ones about the nature of art and activism, as well as fame, friendship, and community.

When Kathleen and I sat down in the spring of 2010 and talked about the film I wanted to make, we both agreed that it should be as ambitious, professional and as beautiful as possible. Accordingly, I am shooting everything on Panosonic HPX cameras, with the latest technology. I won’t bore you with gibberish about P2 cards, but I can assure you that this stuff is beautiful. It is also very expensive.

Here’s what we have going for us: a kick-ass team of talented, passionate people who are temporarily working for free; the collaboration of our subject, Kathleen; 20 years of archival footage documenting her work, and a clear, inspired vision of what this film will be and why it needs to be made.

Here’s what we don’t have (yet): money, our budget is completed, now we are trying to raise the money for it. All of the paper work has been filed, contacts have been made and our entire team is in place.

Because we are so confident that this film will find the support it needs, we are already deep into production, and intend to stick to our current schedule, which has us shooting through the end of the year. Then picking up in the spring again after our first pass.

So this is, in the end, our REQUEST FOR SUPPORT. Very much in the spirit of all independent, grassroots movements (hello, feminism. hi riot grrls. hi underground musicians, artists, and revolutionaries), we need those who support independent art, feminist art, and the documentation of our underground leaders to rally. We want to do this right, so that it's as good as it NEEDS to be, and reaches the widest audience possible.

HERE IS HOW YOU CAN HELP ‘opening band films, llc” MAKE THIS HAPPEN!1. You can donate via Paypal to 'opening band films, LLC' , all you need is your email and mine - kathleenhannaproject@gmail.com (if you don’t have an account, it only takes a minute to create one). Anything helps. $5-$500,000 right, right.

2. You can go to our public WISH LIST at the B&H photo and video website, titled Hanna Project. Follow this link. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/wl/3AB1719840. If you purchase a much needed item from our list, it will be shipped to us in fancy Bushwick.

3. You can write us a check and mail it to us at the address below, or email me for direct wiring deposits. Checks should be made out to:

opening band films, LLC1318 Halsey St #3RBrooklyn, NY 112374.

4. If any of you want to invest money in this project, we would be thrilled to give you an executive producer credit. You can contact me and I’ll put you in touch with our producers Andrea Sperling or Gwen Bialic.

Lastly, I'd be so grateful if you’d forward this letter on to anyone you know who might want to be of help.

Last week, I received an email from Peter (guitarist of Bird Of Ill Omen) telling me about his current project, Gators. When I wrote him back, I told him that I would it if he would write up the history of Bird Of Ill Omen seeing as how the band still gets mentioned and there really isnt much information on the band to be found. He agreed and a few hours later, this is what I received. I really appreciate Peter taking the time to write this and for all the members giving this thumbs up. I hope you all enjoy reading this. -Chip

"When Chip asked me to write a piece on bird of ill omen's history i had to figure out how and where to start. since i joined a few months after the bands inception, i think it's best to do it two segments. bird of ill omen with damien moyal and bird of ill omen with shane post. so let's get started.Damien Moyal had since left Morning Again and i was about 15 years old, playing bass for them at the time when i first learned about BOIO. i knew tom rankine from shows and his distro, indian burn (if there are any people still owed monies from this distro, i urge you to please call the BBB and file a claim. AHAHAHAHA). i knew he was in a band with fed up frank (he had a zine called fed up) called burning strong. i had no idea of any other bands he was involved with. i din't know much about the bird until i saw them for the first time at cheers, might have even been their first show, i think. the line up was george rios on drums, tom rankine on bass, jose (?) on guitar, joe simmons on lead guitar, and damien on vocals of course. they blew me away that night. the music was so heavy, dark and emotional. they really pulled the crowd in... literally. i remember damien grabbing some kid with a sepultura shirt from the audience that was up front by the stage. not sure what prompted this, but by the end of the song the kid was being strangled by damien with the microphone cable and the kid was loving it! that was the kind of vibe bird was emitting at these shows. i was with jerry v. at this show and we just looked at each other with equal parts amazement, disbelief, and pure delight. i was listening to all sorts of types of HC at this time. anything i could get my hands really, but i had never really SEEN anything like them. i was an automatic fan.I continued playing bass with MA for a bit, but i was really just into playing guitar, so i always had many projects going with various people (night of broken glass was one of these bands, but i wanted to write heavy shit, so i would play with whomever was into it. at one point chad gilbert, kevin bauers, and some others.. -i think maybe jerry on bass?- had some songs written but never really went anywhere). Morning Again was getting pretty serious and John mentioned how he was going to book a tour in europe for the upcoming summer. Now, I was still 15 and even though i had done a small US tour with them, i knew there was no way my parents would allow me to take off with these guys for a month long tour to a bunch of foreign countries. I mean, i had a hard time convincing them to let me go out with them for the 7 days we did a few months prior. So i had to tell MA that they would have to find someone else.One of the classic BOIO shows i saw was the infamous Club Q show where Damien had made a John Wiley mask and had a song about how he wanted to "trash your face", no doubt a reference to the MA lyrics he had written for "god framed me". the place went ape shit. projectile bar stools, people hanging from the rafters, just kids letting some steam off. it didn't help that the venue was run by a bunch of racist assholes, so a small scale riot ensued. it was a mess, but fun. i spoke to john about it after the show and he was actually really cool about damien pulling a stunt like that. he was actually really flattered and thought it was awesome. hahahai must have been 16 by this point, and i was hanging out with the coral springs crowd and/or miami people at this time, so i would find myself at different practices and whatnot. that's what we did back then. hang out outside of denny's after shows and go to band practices that our mutual friends were having, 'cause well, there was nothing else you'd rather do, and they were playing music you loved. i really don't remember the details of why or how jose left the band, but i think he was planning on moving to tampa or something, so bird was looking for a replacement. i was hanging out one night at bird's practice space, which was relatively close to my house. after jose left practice, tom rankine pulled me aside and asked me if i wanted to play in the band. i was so honored and really excited to get a chance to play with them, so of course i said yes. i do remember some sort of pranking/hazing thing happened during that conversation, like when there's that back and forth, "just kidding", "no i am serious". i think tom would have to way weigh in on this, since all i remember is driving off and him chasing me down, pounding on my window, and then finally telling me i was in the band. he was such an asshole. ahahahaha.so along with my new guitar duties in the band, i ended up becoming the band's practice chauffeur. i was starting to wonder if the only reason i was even in the band was 'cause i had a car. hahahahawe played with this line up for a few months, ended up on some sweet bills and everything was good. we wrote some new material as a band and it was all sounding great. at one practice i remember rob augman (dead patriot) being there to try and be our second singer, an idea that tom and damien had, i think. we wrote a song called scratch that night, which later became several different parts for other songs after damien and joe left. the best memory i have of that line up was this one old school house day fest /show. there was just this awesome vibe and atmosphere in the air where full moon hung around lighting the wooded outdoors. lot's of kids from vero/ftpierce/wpb area having fun and mingling with the ftl/mia crowd that drove up in large numbers. the highlights from that night included chad's first show with shai hulud (he was so nervous/out of breath after the first song he leaned over the open window and puked. after that, he basically ruled it), discount (with alison mosshart reading her own lyrics off a paper with her back to the crowd), but the one that will live in infamy was to take place during our set.i remember plugging in my guitar, tuning, the lights going off and starting our newest song, scratch with this "acapella " screaming trade off between damien and i. that's basically the only memory i have of playing that night. it was a mystical feeling. almost like an out of body experience. joe and i have talked about this night and we've both agreed how we've never experienced a sensation or energy like that again. i would learn later from these pictures (i will include some of these if you haven't seen them already chip) that the place erupted and everybody just having a great time dancing and going nuts. now, the reason people still talk about this show, is that because during our set this kid eric (we'll call him ostrich since that was kind of his nickname after this day forward) kept turning the level down on damien's vocal mic. damien would go back to the PA and turn himself up again. this went on for several songs until ostrich was caught red handed fucking with the volume fader. damien went after him and the lights went on, pulling me back from the ether. screaming and fighting ensued. the fight was broken up and damien was walked outside to "cool down". not even a minute goes by and damien appears from outside the open window behind the drums and like spiderman just lunges on top of the ostrich. it was fucking insane and hilarious and one of my favorite memories of playing music.several months later tom approached me with the idea of getting a replacement for joe. i think he was jealous of the time that joe was spending with the MA again guys and questioned his dedication to our band. i was opposed to the idea, but tom at that time was getting his way pretty regularly. i am sure he had a replacement in mind before he even suggested this move, and after several talks i just went along with it, 'cause it was the path of least resistance. when damien got word of all this in gainesville, where he was already spending a lot of time there doing his other band culture, he understandably quit.turns out the guitar player tom rankine had in mind the whole time was a childhood friend, andrew logan. i later learned that most of the original bird songs were in fact songs written by a band andrew, tom, the original guitarist of bird jose (?), george rios and bundy had before called , crestfallen. i had met andrew a few times before, but didn't know him until the day i went to his house to "teach" him songs he already knew! hayou have to understand how incestuous our scene was back then. it was commonplace for these sort of things to take place, as i am sure it was everywhere. hardcore bands were more like baseball teams, trading members and making moves to reach the majors....so we there we were with this odd falling out with our former members, but it turns out that tom was half way right about joe anyway. he ended up joining MA right after and helped write their first record for rev records, and being a principal member for a long while. i think he was bummed, but i do believe he was a better fit with them and he went on to do a lot of great bands.now we had a big task ahead of us finding a replacement singer. those were not easy shoes to fill, so we did what any band does in a situation like this. we held auditions (blegh). we shared a warehouse space with makeshift and brethren in north miami beach. we basically had an open call there. i remember scene vet coach, maybe alex from makeshift, rob augman, and a few others showing up. one of those people was a guy named shane we didn't know at all who was recommended to us by this guy ryan who at the time i think was playing guitar in MA. those two knew each other from the cleveland area and both had recently moved down to SoFLa. the "audition" was sort of like a cattle call. we didn't have any recorded material at this point (except an off the soundboard tape that jorge had), so we didn't expect anyone to know our songs enough to "try out". we had a few new musical ideas so we would play them as each contender would come in and take a swing at the mic. this was only an experiment to get a feel for the screaming voice each person had. one by one, as the others stood outside listening, we churned out our tunes, with each hopeful singer taking a crack at itt. after a few of the guys went, we were realizing how finding a suitable replacement could be harder than initially thought. we kept going that night. i think shane post went last. we started our drop D mayham jam and he let out this fucking growl that almost made me stop playing. tom and i looked at each other smirking in relief. before we even discussed it, we pretty much all knew he was the man for the mic. and it was like that how we settled upon the voice you hear on the recordings.tom and i would drive up to lighthouse point where shane lived at the time and teach him the lyrics to the songs we already had and to get to know him a bit better. he was a few years older than all of us, worked as a mechanic, and he and his friend/roommate had moved from ohio together under dubious circumstances. we would joke behind his back that he probably a serial killer or something and shit just got too heated and he had to flee. i think there might have been some legalities involved with his buddy, but at this point it's all speculation and doesn't really matter.we played a few shows with our new singer and he was well received. we were excited to be a full band again. around this time john wylie was thinking of starting his label, eulogy recordings, and asked us if we would like to go in to a studio to record for his first release. we did just that. a few weeks later we found a place in north miami called mad hatter studios. i have no idea why or how we found this studio. i assumed we'd be recording this is at studio 13, jeremy staska's joint. maybe he was booked, or we got a better deal through these guys, but john came by the studio and dropped off the money for the 2 day session. the studio was way pro. it had a huge live room where we ended up setting the drums up in the middle off and the guitar cabs on each end of the room. i was literally like 25-30 feet away from andrew's rig. the bass might have been DIed or maybe the bass rig was in an isolation booth, not sure. the control room was equally as nice with ADATs and equipment in racks everywhere. this is before i had any idea about recording what so ever. we recorded the main tracks in those two days, but we still needed to track some over dubs and all of the vocals. we had ran out of money and asked john to provide us with a bit more so we could finish it. he might have given the studio a little bit more, but then john stated that he wasn't going to put up any more money for the recording. we ended up bartering some stuff with the studio for some more time. i think i "stole" an extra VCR from my parents' house that wasn't being used, and some of the other guys came up with some cash. we were still trying to work out the final touches on some of the lyrics to a new song, might have been "manaquin". time was running out, but we made it happen. i am not sure if those jokers even spent the time to mix it, but we were all more than pleased with the outcome and got out of there with the masters. the artwork was compiled by tom and myself, using images we though were cool from god knows where, and some photos that stefanie jones had shot of us playing live. we send that off to sean from immigrant suns records with some notes and we waited. this was all still new to us. i remember having to download the layout for approval. this meant going to my mom's office after hours and waiting for HOURS to print and see the images. oh dial up, how cute you were back then.at the same time john was booking a MA 2 or 3 week long east coast tour and wanted us to join the whole way through. not sure if we had any shirts or other merch on that tour, but we did end up dubbing a bunch of tapes/demos of two songs off that recording session. i believe we used "sharpshooter" and "now ruin is". we borrowed my dad's jeep cherokee and attached a hitch for a rented u-haul trailer. it was rather tight like that, so we were lucky that MA had a good sized van and one of us would jump in there for a bit to break up the long drives. we drove up 24 hours straight to to the first show, which was in staten island at some center of sorts. maybe like a knights of columbus type of thing. the bill was coalesce, the vorhees, MA and us. i might be missing some other bands, but i was totally stoked to be playing with coalesce. they killed it. some highlight shows from that tour were the first hell fest in syracuse, a few hatebreed shows, legion of doom in columbus OH, some toronto dates with New Day Rising, and indianapolis fest, where i broke my toe and guitar. what can i say; i had a lot of pent up frustration at the time. i had to play a few shows after that sitting down and did not make for good live performances, but we weren't about to quit the tour, that was for sure. our last show on that tour was at 403 chaos in tampa with Cave In, i think.Several months after we got back, Eulogy ended up putting out red letter day's CD first because it was more ready i suppose, but we were in fact the Eulogy Recording 001 release. a few months later, with the help of erica scull and alexxx kenny we had pressed a simpler version of the vynil on thinktank records.During that summer tour, tensions between George (aka lil' jorge) and the rest of the band could not be overlooked any more, and we decided to replace him with Jose(?) from the band Mendacity. Since he had long black hair and was somewhat similar to our old drummer, i think we called him little george. We played some shows with him and wrote some newer material, but never got a chance to record any of it. As the Christmas break approached (i was still the only member still in school) we decided to book another two week tour up the east coast, including Canada. We wanted a better suited vehicle for this trip and started looking for a van. We ended up renting a recreational van from some guy in Pompano. i have no idea how we hooked this deal up, but it was way cheaper than the van we were looking to buy so we went for it. I will never forget Andrew getting dropped off in Bubba C's (escape pod) car with a plastic bag consisting of an apple, a toothebrush, a pair of socks and 2 tshirts. i had to remind him that we were touring in the winter time in the north. along for the ride was Jose's friend and guitar player in Mendacity, Ralph. Nice, but quiet guy. so we piled in all our equipment in the back in such a way that you could lay down pretty comfortably and we were off. i dont remember a lot of the shows on the way up to Canada, but i will never forget the way back down south. we played a few shows in toronto and london ontario, with brutal truth that were pretty awesome. I think we had some new york shows booked up after those dates and were excited to get there and hang out in the big apple. i think tom had set up a radio show too. driving back in through the us boarder we were stopped and searched. next thing we know our drummer Jose was taken into custody and boarder patrol was looking to detain us for "aiding an illegal immigrant". we were confused to say the least. it was quite the fiasco. turns out that Jose's student visa (he was from ecuador) had run out months prior to the tour and didn't extend it. we didn't know any of this. we had no idea that he even had a visa. after much explanation the boarder patrol said that we were free to go, but jose would not be allowed back into the U$. They released him to the canadian side and we drove into Niagara Falls area and got a hotel room. After hanging out a few days we had no choice but to leave Jose behind and we were off back home, with our final stop being gainesville, where we were supposed to play the Alexxx Kenny fest on the YMCA campgrounds, near Micanopy. Turns out Jose and his girlfriend had secretly married a few months back and he was hopeful that he would be back soon after the legal stuff came to light. Jose had some family in montreal where he ended up staying for a few months. After his time there, his situation was still not resolved, so he ended up moving to spain. We hadn't heard from him for a long time after that.Shane had met his future wife in Canada on that tour, so shortly after getting back to florida he moved back to Ohio for a few to be closer to her i think. Needles to say we all took a nice break from the band. During this time Tom, Andrew, and Bubba C started the band dead man's theory. I would fill in on bass once in a while, but the bird void was growing too big. Andrew and i would still get together and write for bird of ill omen stuff that would be placed on the back burner, but we also started giving more attention to our melodic punk band project from years past called the springfields.We ended up meeting Nahuel who played drums in Milkshed, and after Tom convinced us that he could be put to task on playing our style of metal hardcore, we scheduled a few practices with him in hopes of reviving the band and recording the unreleased material. Middle George, as Nahuel would be referred as, was a phenomenal drummer and really let us hone in on our sound. He was actually perfect for the stuff we were trying to write and i think he liked the change of pace and maybe even viewed the stuff as a challenge. Either way, we were clicking and it was sounding great. We were practicing, sans shane who was still out of state, in this tiny room in Andrew's house in Miami Springs. His mom Rita, who we were all very close with, was diagnosed and was battling cancer during this time and stress inevitably arose. We booked some time with Jeremy Staska at his deerfield beach Studio 13 this time, and called Shane to come down and record. He might have been living back down there at the time even, i don't quite remember. Either way, we ended up recording the 4 songs that would end up on our second and last release. We never played a show with our new line up and after we got done recording we decided to take another break as Shane was going back up to Ohio to be a married man and Andrew's mom's condition hadn't improved. Around the same time i got offered to play with As Friends Rust and go on tour for 5 weeks with them and Discount, so i would gladly go up to Gainesville to rehearse with them. Eventually i got my GED and went up to GVL to start the tour.I fell in love with Gainesville and felt it was time for me at the tender age of 17 to move there, but i was eager to have my bird buddies come up with me so we could continue doing the band. They did not come and understandably so, as andrew needed to stay home and deal with his family situation. We never had a conversation about the future of bird of ill omen again. We just kind of drifted apart i suppose. A whirlwind of stories, experiences shared and memories are what shapes lives. it has certainly shaped mine. Those times in bird of ill omen had it's ups and downs but it was a hell of a ride. I don't think we intended to break up, but it certainly happened. Nothing in life is promised, but i am super grateful to have lived that little piece of my life, and more importantly that other people liked our music enough to give a shit. i never really thought much about our impact, if any, on the hardcore community, but i am happy that we left behind some great memories for all of us to share. I moved up to NYC about 7 years ago now, and every so often i'll meet somebody who is not from florida that has not only heard of our slightly insignificant band but remembers us fondly. that's what is so great about this community. it transcends labels and fashion while reaching all who care enough to truly be a part of it. thank you for giving our flash in the pan efforts significance."

EDIT: Cover scan of "Self Dare You Still Breathe" by Alexandre Julien.

Saturday, December 25, 2010

I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and happy holidays from all of us here at Stuck In The Past and hope that you all have a safe and happy holiday season. I received an email from Peter (ex-guitarist for Bird Of Ill Omen) who told me that he had put together a Christmas compilation featuring his band, Gators, as well as some other bands featuring members of Culture, Morning Again, As Friends Rust and more. Its a free download so if you have the time, check it out. Also, Peter has agreed to write up the history of Bird Of Ill Omen so expect that in the near future. Thanks for all of your continued support and have a great holiday.Homesick Holidays: A Sorrowful Christmas Compilation

Friday, December 24, 2010

Our friend and faithful reader, David Count Agranoff, spoke with Earth Crisis' Scott Crouse the other day to get the inside scoop on whats up with the new ExC record as well a few other things including the original demo. We want to thank David for all his support and for conducting this interview. Take a minute and check out David's new book "The Vegan Revolution...With Zombies" on Amazon.

Interview by David Count Agranoff author of The Vegan Revolution...With Zombies and Earth Crisis historian.

David Agranoff: I am going to assume that almost everyone reading this interview knows who you are, and what you are about. So I am going to focus on the new record. Could you tell us about how your writing process has changed?

Scott Crouse:Back in Syracuse when the band all lived in town you guys practiced six or seven days a week. Yes, we used to practice at least 3 days a week, and more like 5 when we were writing. In a lot of ways I think the new style of writing we have is a more efficient use of our time. I'll work out the basic layout of a song at my house and then send it to the other guys for their input. Once we feel we have a solid group of songs, we'll get together for 4 or 5 days in Syracuse to spice them up. I do miss the more creative vibe of the old way at times, but I think this style is working well for us.

DA: When we last talked in march I asked you about the writing of this record, you said "I have not thought of a concept yet." How does a musical concept function for Earth Crisis and are you able to put into words what the concept is?

SC: Well, it's more a musical direction than a concept. This one does have a lyrical concept though. What I meant was an overall vibe of the record I guess? It usually takes 2 or 3 songs into the writing process to figure out what the flavor of the new record will be. I'm a firm believer in never putting out the same record twice. It's more of a challenge to try and maintain the integrity of the band with each release, but explore new territory musically.

DA: The titles we know...100 Kiloton Blast, Neutralize The Threat and By Conscience Compelled. 100 kiloton blast reminds me of Cease to exist, which was a very cinematic song, it told a vivid story. Cities Fall on To the Death also one of Karl's most vivid songs. How much do you and Karl work on the mood of the music fitting the songs?

SC: Karl does an excellent job of crafting the lyrics to fit the mood of the song. When we were working on demos, he spent a lot of time listening to the songs, then sorting through his folder of lyrics to find one that fit the feel of the music best. That was really what we were going for on this one. We wanted this record to have the mood of Gomorrah's, but with more focused songwriting as is on To The Death.

DA: Most people don't know that Karl is more than vocalist, that he even wrote every note of classics like ecocide. How much input if any does Karl put into the music?

SC: Yes, Karl actually wrote Ecocide and All Out War. We spiced them up a bit, but they were basically done when we met him. He does still have input in the music, but it is usually from a vocalist stand point now. They are more arrangement oriented ideas.

DA: Last rumor I heard was 10 new songs and re-recording 4 classics? is that still the format?

SC: Well, that has changed unfortunately. It's going to be 10 new songs, plus 2 "bonus" tracks. As "music biz" as this sounds, our lawyer advised us against trying to re record old stuff due to past contracts and blah blah blah. I'd love to do it someday, hopefully we can get it sorted out.

DA: Morality dictates was written in studio. At the GSE record release show you played a different version. It was faster, with crazy double bass. Any chance you guys will record that version of the song? I have tried for years to find video of that show!

SC:No plans to right now, but we do bring up playing that version live again from time to time.

DA: When you recorded GSE there were rumors that You guys knocked Karl around to get angry before doing the vocals. Is that a Syracuse legend or true? What does Karl do to prepare in the studio?

SC: Haha, no that never happened that I remember. Many people don't recognize this, but Karl is a true artist. I'm not exactly sure how he channels his rage, but I know he has his methods, and I feel like that is a personal thing so I've never even asked.

DA: As the member of the band with the producing experience do you feel extra weight while recording?

SC: It can be tough, but I feel like there is so much of me personally in this music that I'd have a hard time not being involved in the entire process. I'd love to have the freedom of popping in, playing guitar and then leaving, but I'm not sure I could ever feel comfortable doing that.

DA: On the last record you pushed Dennis hard on the drums, he delivered some really fantastic drum arrangements I am thinking of Against the Current. How did you guys approach the drums differently on these last two records?

SC: I record completed songs with programmed drums as a guide for what I'm envisioning, then Dennis will tailor them to his playing. When we first started doing it this way, I wasn't sure if some of the things I was programming were even physically possible? Dennis showed up playing them so I guess they were!

DA: You said that this record is not radically different from To the Death. In the past each full length album was so different from the last. Do you feel like you are more comfortable with the Earth Crisis sound than in the past?

SC: I think so. I personally have always been trying to get the perfect blend of heaviness, imagery and listenability. I think To The Death was the first EC record where I felt like we hit that mark. This new one is along those lines, but infusing some character that I feel like To The Death may have been lacking.DA: Got to ask what you think about international Earth Crisis day on 3/15 ???? Will the new record be ready for that day? Might be a good day to unleash a song!

SC: I think it's funny, and very cool if it catches on! The new record won't be ready by then, and unfortunately I think it'll be to early for a new song too. We'll try and think of something to do though.

DA: After 7th dagger put out the two 93 demo songs do you have any plans to release the rest of the demo? I'd like to, but we are having a hard time tracking down a solid copy of that demo. The sound quality on the SD 7" is terrible, but the rest of the songs we have sound even worse!

DA: Album have a title yet?

SC: No, not yet. I hate that part of the process!

DA: Also on to the death I remember Karl had 19 songs written for that record, two demo takes became bonus songs for the japanese DVD did you end up using any of those songs?

SC: No, those are still sitting around on my computer. I did about the same number of songs for this one. In some ways calling them songs isn't accurate, they are more rough drafts of songs I just didn't feel were hitting that hard. Sometimes though, I go back and listen to them and find pieces that are solid, so it pays to hold on to them.

DA: Any final thoughts before you start recording?

SC: I'm excited to get the recording underway! Every song on this record is inspired by actions carried out by various vigilante groups around the world. Lyrically it's probably the most brutal record we've put out since Destroy The Machines.

Prayer For A Fallen Angel is one of the best bands that almost never was. The band was a side project for members of xDisciplex, Brothers Keeper, Path of Resistance and Chokehold. They recorded an EP which was released by Goodfellow Records and were scheduled to play the Syracuse New Years show but ended up canceling (if memory serves). I can't even remember if they ended up playing a show or not...either way, here you go. Its actually multiple interviews with different members of the band, so just follow when it says to go to whichever page. If you would like a much more in depth look at the band, head over to the page that our friend EMS did for the band on Coregasm.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

The response to the left over merch has been overwhelming and Im doing my best to stay on top of it. Ive spoken to John and we are currently figuring out a way for me to get the merch from him so we can put it up for sale. I want to get this going as much as all of you do so Im hoping that after the holiday we should have everything ready for sale. Im going to call him today and see if we can nail down a definite day to get this ball rolling. Thanks for your patience.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Someone asked about the Bloodnation project, a side band for members of Bloodlet and Damnation AD. I dont really know much about it but this song was on a compilation called "Squirrel" (or at least thats the folder its in). How many songs did the record? No clue. Did they ever play a show? Not sure...if anyone has info to post, please let us know.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Many people in the 90s (and very much so today) had/have mixed views on religion in hardcore. Many feel that it has no place in hardcore while others disagree and still some others just don't care one way or the other. In the early 90s, many kids jumped on the Krishna bandwagon with religion obviously being the focal point (see what I did there?). Kids supported Shelter, 108 and Equal Vision Records but as soon as the the topic of Christian hardcore came to the forefront, it was as if that certain elephant was in the room and everyone was glaring at it. I don't consider myself religious by any stretch but I respect what others believe as long as they respect me. A band like xDisciplex (and later xDisciplex AD) is a band that, though they were a Christian band, I gave 100% respect too. Extremely nice guys who didn't force their beliefs on anyone...more of a "hey we believe this and its cool if you don't". This interview was conducted by Adel Collins from her excellent "I Stand Alone" fanzine and was printed in the summer of 1997, right after the band released their "Scarab" 7 inch on Surprise Attack Records.

Monday, December 13, 2010

I just spoke to John and he said he has some stuff left. Not sure of the sizes yet but Im trying to find out at least who might be interested in picking something up. Leave a comment if you are interested so I can forward it to him. There should also be posters left too...here's the designs. The first 2 (God Framed Me and We Can't Always Rebuild...) were also made as hoodies in a limited number so they might be available as well.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

The Universal Choking Sign compilation came out on Excursion records in late 1994, and it was a great representation of the varied sounds being created in the hardcore/punk scene of the Northwest around 93/94. The comp was only released on vinyl that came in a hand screened cover and was limited to 1,000 copies. Also included was a giant newsprint insert with lyrics and photos.It starts off with a spoken word piece by Greg Bennick, and then dives right into some stand out tracks by the likes of Brand New Unit, Sparkmarker, Undertow, Strain, Jayhawker and more. This comp also features the only recorded output by a band called Digh Down. The band featured Ron Guardipee (Brotherhood) on vocals, with the rest of the band being made up of Mark Holcomb (Undertow) and Erik Kindler on guitar, Ryan Murphy (Undertow) on drums and the great Dave Larson (Excursion Records mastermind) on bass. The track was recorded during the same session that Undertow recorded the Control EP for Overkill Records.

3 ORDERS WILL BE PICKED AT RANDOM FROM THE PRE ORDER TO WIN A TEST PRESS COPY!!!

From the ashes of DAMAGE CONTROL and SET MY PATH comes ANCHOR. Hailing from Sweden, ANCHOR plays a blend of passionate and message filled hardcore that really brings to mind bands like TRIAL and SNAPCASE but would also please the ears of VERSE / REFUSED / JUDGE fans. This is some real and true straight edge / vegan hardcore from one of the most respected bands in today’s European scene. This record compiles all there singles, splits, and eps. Includes a free digital download coupon so you can rock it on the I Pod or what ever.

Track ListingAtlantisWallsViolenceVanityVengeanceHamndIt Kills You to KnowIn the Throes of PassionFar AboveCaptivityBeyond Reason and Logic

They are in the middle of a U.S. tour now and heading back to Sweden for the new year. Please go check them out and show some support.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Here's the word from Glory Kid:"That's right,Outrage is back from the dead and is preparing to take the world by storm once again. Just before their hiatus in May, Outrage just completed their full length album entitled "Broken" for Panic Records, along with their debut EP "Savior". After numerous tours in the US and Europe they came to such an abrupt ending, I don't think most can forecast. Now they return after a great deal of reconcile and realization that there is still much to accomplish with a new dynamic sound. Currently writing and planning out their schedule for the coming year, they will be entering the studio to record for their Glory Kid debut in January. But for now enjoy a new unreleased track of their's entitled "Rain" in our Winter/Fall sample which you can find here!"

One of our regular readers, Eric, posted this on the message board but in case you missed it, here it is. A full live set from Battery playing in Buffalo, late 1996. Judging by the date, the band would have been supporting the "Until The End" record that had been released on Conversion Records. The video is shot from the stage and the sound is actually pretty good.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

To be quite honest, this shirt is a little bit of a head scratcher for me. Yes its legit, I bought it from the band after the release of the "My Statement Of Life In A Dying World" record. I don't remember them selling it after I purchased it and I haven't seen it for sale since (on Ebay I mean). The front has the standard XXX logo but only a one color, more simplistic version, not the usual 2 color that we tend to see. The back has a picture of a young girl holding a gun with one hand and covering her eyes with the other. The lyrics next to her are from the song "Stun The Evolution". Perhaps the design didn't do as well as the band expected so it was discontinued? Strange...I still haven't seen it since I picked it up. Other color variations besides the heather grey? No clue..but I really do dig the simple logo on the front.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Today, Im looking back at "Martyr" design that Goodlife did for the band. Simple and to the point on the front with a nice silver ink laid over the white but a nice live photo on the back. The photo was used in the insert for the record and features a few South Florida regulars at the time including Jordan Pundik (New Found Glory), Jordan Leitner, Peter Bartsocas (Bird of Ill Omen) and Stephanie Jones (local photographer). Not quite sure who took the photo but Im assuming it was Lori Austin, another local photographer, as she and Stephanie were both credited with the photos in the insert (and the fact that Stephanie is in the photo). This design was also used as a hoodie as well the tshirt. Not quite sure how many colors this was printed on but I have it in this blue as well as hunter green and heather gray.I spoke to John and he told me that there are about 50 presale tickets left so if you want to get into the show an hour before everyone else instead of hanging out outside in the beautiful area known as Little Haiti, get them soon. Tickets will be sold at the door but you'll still have to wait outside until 8. The first band starts at 8:30 (my friends Harbinger are opening and they're killer, so get there early to see them). Click here to order your presale tickets.

Monday, December 6, 2010

So here we are, counting down the days to the Morning Again show (5 days). At this point, I've basically bombarded you to no end with details on the show but I'm not quite done yet. If it has gotten to a point where this is starting to bug you, I apologize but Morning Again has been and continues to be my favorite band to come out of Florida and knowing that I've had a hand in this whole process makes me pretty excited so I'm passing on the excitement to the rest of you. Until the day of the show, I plan to post a different shirt with a little history each day.Anyway, today I was going through my shirts and I came across the bands "Cleanest War" design. This, I believe, is the bands second t-shirt following their "Progress Sets Us Back" design that I posted a few months back (thanks again Ivan) before they signed with Conquer The World Records. This design was printed for the "Cleanest War" record that Conquer The World did release (on a side note, while some people do have their opinions on Conquer The World Records, Mike did release some killer records) though I'm not sure of the quantity in which they were pressed or if the label sold them or just the band. This design features what would become one of the bands 3 logos (the others being the XXX logo from the Goodlife Recordings releases and the later designed Richie Birkenhead logo from the Rev release) and if I'm not mistaken is the first time the tree logo was used. No info on who designed the logo though (John, Damien, Eric...if you have any info, pass it on). The back features a smoke stack with the "Cleanest War" above it. The print is this weird puffy paint...very odd. It's almost as if the print should be glow in the dark. I don't think I've seen this type of paint used on any other shirts I own...definitely a cool design though. Not quite sure if this was printed by the 90s resident South Florida screen printer, Lowell from Bending Tree, but I'll do some snooping and see if I can find out.The show is this weekend and the band will have merch as well as the silk screened posters so Ill post updates...lots of old friends coming out that I haven't seen in years. The show is supposedly going to be videotaped so you'll be able to see the happenings at a later date.

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Ten Years Strong is the 22 song discography from this underrated and '90s straight edge and skate edge band from Pennsylvania. Includes the Too Tired To Drive Home, Skate Tuff and We'll Be Fighting 7"s, their side of the split 7" with CARPENTER ANT, their tracks from The Rebirth Of Hardcore, Growing Stronger and What We Share compilations and the entire 1996 demo. The limited colored vinyl includes a lyric sheet, liner notes and comes with griptape sticker.

EDIT: I received an email from Markus (Per Koro Records) and heres what he had to say in regards to ordering:

The automatic email is just to inform german speaking customers! Foreign orders are more than welcome. Just have to check out the postal-rates! Paypal payments and regular banktransfers (iban/bic) are possible as well! Just send a line and i'm going back to everyone asap!

Thursday, December 2, 2010

John just posted this poster that will be available at the show next week. These were silk screened by Iron Forge Press and they look absolutely amazing. There's a chance that after the show, whatever is left will be available on the website. Leave a comment if you're interested in getting your hands on one after the show and if enough people do, Ill post the link.